Forum - View topicNEWS: Import Store Offers Free Manga to Scanlators
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ChibiGoku
Posts: 686 |
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Part of me says this is a good idea, but the other part of me says this is a bad idea. The only issue is that this could cause an effect where people will only download, and never buy the Localized Manga if it ever comes out here (or wherever the manga gets licensed).
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minakichan
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I don't get it. So the store is giving manga specifically to scanlators, with the intent that the manga will be scanlated? So it's supporting and trying to fuel scanlation?
Wow. Um. Here's a question: what's the point? Are they trying to support scanlation i.e. defy the official translators? Are they just trying to get certain titles out to the public? Are they just trying to say, "Hey, thanks for scanlating stuff, here's some crack/manga to fuel your obsessions as our way of expressing gratitude" or what? |
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coolerimmortal
Posts: 522 |
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This is excellent news. As the head of a large scanlation team myself, this is...very good for us. This way we can start up new projects using raws that aren't usually available to teams.
It's awesome of them to help the scanlators out. We don't have limitless resources. |
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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I, too, am torn on this. We'll see how this all works out I guess; there's not use jumping to conlcusions about what impact this will have. (Probably not a lot though.)
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Well, this is interesting news and good for scanlators (in Finland at least), but I really don't understand the point. What are they thinking?
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Patachu
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 1325 Location: San Diego |
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The Finnish store is actually a front for a sting operation by the Japanese manga industry so they can get names of scanlators and crack down on them like they did with the manga file-sharers in Japan and Korea a while back.
(No, I'm kidding. But wouldn't that be a brilliant concept?) |
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SoloButterfly
 Posts: 239 Location: Masaki Residence |
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My interpretation of this is that the store is hoping that they can get titles out there. They know that people are reading the scanslations. They figure if they like what they are reading online they will be willing to pay money to have the actual book. Even if they don't read Japanese, because they'll already know the plot and can refer back to the scanslation if need be. That's my guess.
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AstroNerdBoy
 Posts: 413 Location: Denver, CO |
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There are scanlators now distributing stuff including licensed stuff. The impact won't be any greater than it is now, as I see it. |
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Onizuka666
Posts: 266 Location: U.K |
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I see this as a good thing. Why you ask? Because there's more manga out there that we have never heard of or may never see in our lifetime, outside of japan.
This is a nifty idea because there are many titles I'd like to sample but I can't read japanese. Waiting for publishers to pull their fingers out and publish a title in english can be an eternal wait. In a way it will also allow publishers to again see what fans like or want to read. Don't forget how Fruits Basket manga got to be so popular before, and then moreso after a certain publisher licensed it stateside. All in all this will make scan manga much better than it is. I doubt if the japanese will have a problem with this, because it's free advertising for their manga that they don't have to pay for. Once popularity builds someone will look at an english release and that'll be better for everyone. |
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minakichan
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People say this all the time, but haven't the Japanese consistently "had a problem" with scanlation (and fansubs) in general, whether or not it affects their potential profit |
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camelot187757
 Posts: 426 Location: The Nacirema Dream (17 and counting Asuka) |
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I can't really see the problem with this. I find it no different then the early days when a new video game console would drop, a purchase of the console would include a free copy of a slightly above average game. Its just "taste me" advertising. I'm sure they are hoping that if enough people enjoy the products they are offering now, more people would feel free-er(freeer?, frer?, or perhaps its "more free"?) to purchase whatever other items that they are selling. Of course this is all in Finland so we can't really make a significant judement call unitl it hits a major country (not sh*ting on Finland mind you but population wise it doesn't compare to some other countries)
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kyuu
 Posts: 16 Location: Tampere, Finland |
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I noted this offer has been removed from the site now. As I understand, there may have been some sort of mistake, misinterpretation or misunderstanding relating to the original matter. Personally, I'm betting misrepresentation. In any case, the store keeper has taken the offer down.
I don't personally have any more details to offer, just forwarding information. EDIT: I supposed I could add that anime/manga piracy doesn't have much public status in Finland. Obviously it exists like anywhere, but that's something people keep to themselves, as larger anime communities and events prefer to stay very far away from the subject. Perhaps that is partly why this matter caused such a mess and was re-evaluated (again - guess, not fact). Fansubs/scanlations are, in legal terms, considered clear law violations in Finland. Due to the industry being quite small, there haven't been any legal actions towards these groups - and this being a small country, very few such groups operate here. Some ISP's have taken down sites of pirated anime/manga material providers but that's that. Imported manga and DVD's keep us going quite well, pretty much everyone here can understand English language. |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Surely this clear copyright violation can't continue without some sort of legal action taken by whom ever the license owners are? I saw an article in the Japan Times recently about three people there getting arrested for making scanlations available to the internet. One would think someone at the Japanese Embassy in Finland would, or should have complained.
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hikaru004
 Posts: 2306 |
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You are a lifesaver! 
I was hoping that that particular news item got translated into English. |
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Bemmu
Posts: 1 |
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Hello, my name is Bemmu Sepponen, I own the site bemmu.com and made this offer. However, I have decided to cancel the offer and wish to explain my behavior.
Personally I was introduced to anime several years ago by watching a fansubbed VHS version of Ranma 1/2. This was waay back when nobody ordered anything online, and downloading full-motion video was impossible and nobody had heard of the Internet. Back then, this was the only way anyone could watch anime. Therefore I felt some delayed gratitude towards these people and thought that it would be a proper way to express this gratitude by doing the one thing I could easily do, provide manga. I have come to realize that we live in a VERY different world now when it comes to manga and anime. It is no longer difficult to get officially licensed and translated work, no matter what country you live in (this should have been obvious to me as an importer, but on the net it is quite easy to write things without really thinking them through first). While it might have been tolerable in the past, I have come to realize that fansubbed or scanlated works are now more likely to actually threaten the sales of actual licensed works. After giving this a lot of thought, it is now clear to me that I never should have made such an offer. Frankly, I am ashamed that I associated my web store and myself personally with this sort of activity. The offer is cancelled and I can only hope that my deepest apologies will be accepted by the manga community. |
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